Reborn After Divorcing The Obsessive Genius Heiress - Chapter 2

Qiu Wu had long prepared herself for the prospect of a marriage alliance.

For ordinary families, marriage might still be the fruit of love.

But for wealthy clans who valued power and wealth above all else, marriage was more akin to a covert contract: sacrificing a family member to secure a shaky alliance.

For a family on the brink of bankruptcy like the Qiu family, such alliances were seen as lifelines.

As the family’s only daughter, Qiu Ji was naturally exempt from such arrangements.

Now, the only remaining viable option was this insignificant adopted daughter.

This was likely the primary reason the Qiu family had insisted on raising Qiu Wu to this point, even after the prophetic vision had failed.

“Yes, I understand,” Qiu Wu nodded, indicating her comprehension without pressing for details about her potential marriage partner.

What was the point in asking when she had no choice in the matter?

This overly obedient attitude made Qiu Qi visibly uncomfortable. The man averted his gaze. “This morning, the Luo family sent a message. Eldest Miss Luo Bai wishes to discuss the marriage arrangement with you in person.”

“Huh?” The simple statement carried such monumental implications that Qiu Wu was momentarily speechless, unsure where to begin.

“But that’s the Luo family! Why would they want to ally with us?” Finally, she focused on the most pressing question.

While marriages between families aren’t always strictly equal in status, the alliance between the Luo and Qiu families was akin to a wealthy heiress impulsively marrying a stray dog.

After all, this was the Luo Family we’re talking about…

FutureTech, the backbone of Luocheng’s prosperity, was also the Luo Family’s core business. Though the city-state had an official leader, virtually every resident of Luocheng tacitly acknowledged that the Family Head of the Luo Family was the true ruler of the city.

“I don’t know,” Qiu Qi shook his head, unable to help. His gaze sharpened as he looked at her. “But you must understand the significance of this matter, right?”

Qiu Wu leaned back against the chair, bracing herself against the urge to tremble from nervousness.

“I understand.”

The meeting with Luo Bai was scheduled for the afternoon after tomorrow. Late that night, Qiu Wu sat cross-legged on her small bed, typing “Luo Bai” into the search bar.

Contrary to her expectations, the screen didn’t flood with lengthy biographies or sensationalist gossip articles. Instead, there was only a terse entry: “Luo Bai, born in New Era 1125, daughter of Luo Hua, former chief researcher at FutureTech. Currently employed at FutureTech’s Seventh Research Institute.”

Born in 1125… That would make her 32 now.

There isn’t even a single photo?

Undeterred, Qiu Wu tried searching for FutureTech and the Luo Family next.

The information this time was both abundant and chaotic. It took Qiu Wu a while to sort through it all and piece together the story.

The current Family Head of the Luo Family and CEO of FutureTech is Luo Wen, Luo Bai’s aunt and Luo Hua’s younger sister. Luo Hua was a genius scientist who single-handedly established Luocheng’s position as the “First City-State.”

Eighteen years ago, Luo Hua died in a plane crash. Shortly after, Luo Wen used embryo technology to give birth to her only daughter, Luo Jing. She also adopted a girl from a side branch of the Luo Family to oversee FutureTech’s day-to-day operations.

That girl is now Luo Cheng, CEO of FutureTech, who frequently tops gossip headlines and keeps a whole pack of paparazzi in business.

All these figures are considered public figures in Luocheng, with their smiling ID photos prominently displayed on their Wikipedia pages.

Except for Luo Bai. Whether on her own page or in the associated pages of her relatives, there’s only that brief description.

How mysterious is that?

Qiu Wu couldn’t help but think of some witch living in a castle and eating children, and she shivered involuntarily.

“Aaaaaah, Sis! What exactly do you see in me? Can’t I just change to please you?”

Rolling around in bed, she stared at the low ceiling through her messy bangs, then slowly burrowed deeper under the covers, muttering to herself.

“Whatever. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If it’s not, I can’t avoid it.”

On Sunday morning at six o’clock, Qiu Qi dragged Qiu Wu to the dressing room with a single phone call.

Faced with the fully prepared makeup team in the dressing room, Qiu Wu silently swallowed her request for a quick snack of tea eggs to stave off her hunger. She obediently sat in the chair, pretending to be a blinking doll.

After hours of meticulous makeup, Qiu Wu, starving to the point of seeing stars, finally received permission to speak.

Forget tea eggs; she even had to break her bread into small pieces to avoid smudging her makeup.

“Hmm, it looks good,” Qiu Qi said, nodding in satisfaction to the makeup artist as he entered the room.

Qiu Ji followed her mother, her gaze still filled with disdain as she stared at Qiu Wu.

With both women watching, Qiu Wu couldn’t swallow her piece of bread, nor could she spit it out. She could only silently stare at the mirror on the table.

Considering the meeting was at a regular restaurant, the stylist had dressed her in a beige pleated skirt and a matching loose sweater for a more casual look. Her long hair, originally loose, had been artfully coiled into a bun at the back of her head. Even the stray strands framing her forehead seemed meticulously arranged to make her appear more innocent and approachable.

Her expressive eyes had been softened with rounded lashes, and her vibrant lip color had been replaced with a gentle, pinkish hue.

As for her face, it had been powdered even fairer than the traditional Luodong complexion.

What a pure, harmless, and ready-to-serve little white flower.

But what if Luo Bai isn’t into this type?

Qiu Wu couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“Don’t smile like that, it looks so lifeless,” Qiu Qi said, patting her shoulder like a mother worried about her daughter getting married. “Try to be more cheerful. Now everything depends on you.”

“Yes, I know, Family Head,” Qiu Wu replied, feeling an overwhelming pressure as someone who had never been depended on before. She forced a bright smile.

“Tsk, don’t call me Family Head. Call me Adoptive Mother,” Qiu Qi chided.

“Hmph!” Qiu Ji, standing nearby, snorted in displeasure, perhaps unable to bear her mother’s attempts to ingratiate herself with Qiu Wu. She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Qiu Wu flinched in surprise. Qiu Qi quickly comforted her, “A-Ji can be stubborn. Don’t take it to heart.”

It’s not like this is the first time I’ve known she’s stubborn. Is this your first time?

Qiu Wu understood Qiu Qi’s predicament and didn’t resent her past coldness. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment at the stark contrast in her treatment before and after.

All of this hinged on Eldest Miss Luo, whose very appearance she didn’t even know.

If she failed… wouldn’t she have to kneel until she wore through the stone slabs in the Confinement Room?

Qiu Wu’s anxiety intensified.

That afternoon, Qiu Wu arrived at the meeting place an hour early: the flagship restaurant of the Eternal chain, located in the center of Luocheng District 3.

Eternal was a chain restaurant that was very popular among Luocheng residents. Many people often posted photos of their meals there on social media, as it was said that FutureTech researchers particularly enjoyed its flavors.

FutureTech researchers were the most respected profession in Luocheng, representing intelligence, high salaries, and an incredibly bright future. This was also Lin Ya’s ultimate goal.

Qiu Wu had never eaten here before. First, because a single cake at this restaurant could cost as much as twenty plates of stir-fried meat elsewhere, and she didn’t want to spend the Qiu Family’s money. Second… because she found humanoid robots a bit creepy.

“Miss Qiu Wu,” the robot server, holding a recorder, flashed her a standard smile. “Miss Luo Bai has reserved a table. Please follow me.”

Qiu Wu followed the robot through the pristine white hall. It wasn’t mealtime, so only a few tables were occupied, most of the patrons wearing white FutureTech uniforms.

The restaurant was less than three kilometers from FutureTech headquarters, so they were likely all researchers from the company.

The second floor housed private booths: transparent spheres embedded in the same material as the floor.

Following the server’s gesture, Qiu Wu entered one of the pods. As the door closed, the originally transparent spherical wall instantly turned a deep gray, isolating the interior from the outside world.

Qiu Wu let out a long breath. She always felt inexplicably nervous in places with such advanced technology.

The feeling was reminiscent of her childhood, when she would play in the mountains until nightfall, lost and unable to find her way home. Surrounded only by the rustling of leaves and insect songs, she felt like an intruder in a vast world where even the slightest sound was swallowed by the silence, unnoticed.

What had Qiu Ji said again?

Luoxi’s hick, a lowly breed doomed to a lifetime of drudgery.

Qiu Wu’s lips twitched as she sat upright on the sofa, determined to play her part as the innocent, pure-hearted maiden.

Her phone vibrated twice. Seeing that there was still time before her appointment, she pulled it out to check.

It was a WeChat message from Lin Ya.

Lin Ya had sent a photo of herself buried in books at the library.

Ah, studying is so exhausting…

Take a break then. Look out the window and rest your eyes.

Aiyo, my brain’s mush right now. I think I’ll call it a day. What about you? What are you up to?

Qiu Wu: I’m eating out with a friend.

She simply couldn’t tell her friend she was meeting her potential marriage partner. She was afraid Lin Ya would call the police. It’s the 12th century of the new era, after all.

Lin Ya: Oh? A guy or a girl? Any chemistry?

Qiu Wu: A girl. Nothing yet. Do you know Luo Bai?

Qiu Wu had considered asking Lin Ya, a die-hard FutureTech fan, about information that might not be online, but she hadn’t wanted to disturb her friend’s studies. Now, she used it as a way to change the subject.

Lin Ya: Of course! The orphan from the previous dynasty, the hidden Eldest Princess! Every FutureTech fan knows her! Why do you want to know about her?

Because I might have to marry her.

Qiu Wu put a hand to her forehead and improvised: “Just curious. Weren’t you going to the job fair? I wanted to learn more about her beforehand. Luo Bai is so mysterious—there’s hardly any information online.”

Lin Ya: You don’t know this? On Luocheng’s public network, “Luo Bai” is a completely blocked term. No posts about her—photos or text—can be shared.

Qiu Wu: But we’re talking about her right now?

Lin Ya: Private messages don’t count. Try posting about her on Weibo.

Qiu Wu typed “Luo Bai” into the Weibo interface and clicked send.

The search failed immediately, without even displaying the standard legal notice: “According to relevant laws, the content you searched for cannot be displayed.”

Qiu Wu was surprised. “Why is that?”

Lin Ya replied: “The New Sovereign is purging the old regime’s influence. I heard that Luo Wen and Luo Bai’s mother—Luo Hua—never got along. They almost came to blows during a high-level FutureTech meeting. But Luo Hua was a genius on the level of a city-state; no matter how much Luo Wen resented her, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. That is, until eighteen years ago, when Luo Hua insisted on flying to another city-state during a storm and literally flew herself to death. Luo Bai was only fourteen at the time. After finally seizing control of the entire Luo Family and FutureTech, why would he tolerate his niece?”

Qiu Wu: “I see.”

A vision of a tragic woman, locked away in a vast courtyard, her talents wasted, rose in her mind.

Lin Ya sent another message: “But Luo Bai isn’t an ordinary person either. Rumor has it she modified her body, replacing all her bones with titanium alloy. A single punch from her could send a stack of people flying. What a bitter fate! Mechanical ascension!”

Qiu Wu: “……”

Now, Qiu Wu had transformed into a Terminator in an instant.

Just a heads up, she thought, remember to stand up and move around occasionally. Don’t push yourself too hard.

The private room door opened. A server placed a cake and hot drink on the table before silently retreating.

Luo Bai seemed to assume Qiu Wu had already eaten lunch. Qiu Wu stared at the afternoon tea spread on the tray, the sweet aroma wafting up making her mouth water.

From breakfast until now, she had only eaten two small pieces of bread.

There was still half an hour until their meeting time. Would anyone notice if she took a sip of coffee?

Qiu Wu carefully lifted the cup and took a small sip.

The drink was warm, with an extremely faint taste of latte—so faint she almost mistook it for plain water.

Wait a minute…

Qiu Wu stared suspiciously at the dark brown liquid in the cup.

This doesn’t even look watered down.

She took another sip, but it was still just as bland.

A flicker of irritation rose in her.

This cup of coffee could buy half a cart of apples! How dare they skimp on quality?

Just then, the private room door beeped and opened again.

Qiu Wu’s hand trembled, sending ripples through the coffee in her cup.

A cold, metallic breeze brushed against her cheek as the door swung open.

A tall woman entered and sat across from her.

“Hello, I’m Luo Bai.”

Her voice was calm, low, and crystal clear, like the sweep of a fish tail across the eyelashes.

Those pitch-black eyes, devoid of emotion, swallowed Qiu Wu whole like bottomless voids.

Support Reborn After Divorcing The Obsessive Genius Heiress